With only one event remaining before the champion of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest in Myrtle Beach, SC, was crowned, all that was left for the 10 finalists to do was hoist five increasingly heavy Atlas Stones weighing 330, 350, 395, 440, and 460 pounds to their respective 50-inch pedestals in the fastest time possible.
Athletes ran in two-man heats and had a pretty good idea of how high it was possible for them to rank on the overall leaderboard. Check out the results below:
2023 World’s Strongest Man Atlas Stones Results
- Tom Stoltman — five in 33.26 seconds
- Mitchell Hooper — five in 36.96 seconds
- Trey Mitchell — five in 45.72 seconds
- Oleksii Novikov — four in 27.47 seconds
- Evan Singleton — four in 28.16 seconds
- Brian Shaw — four in 35.88 seconds
- Pavlo Kordiyaka — four in 45.86 seconds
- Luke Stoltman — four in 48.49 seconds
- Mathew Ragg — four in 49.50 seconds
- Jaco Schoonwinkel — withdrew
[Related: 2023 World’s Strongest Man Results and Leaderboard]
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Heat One — Mathew Ragg
With Schoonwinkel withdrawing due to injury during the Max Dumbbell event, Ragg, sitting in second-to-last place overall entering the event, had to run the opening heat alone.
With tape and tacky covered arms, Ragg made swift work of the first three stones. He was more cautious with his fourth stone, which rammed into the pedestal before falling to the floor. His second attempt was successful, and he squared off with the fifth stone as the whistle blew before he could attempt it.
Heat Two — Luke Stoltman vs. Brian Shaw
Shaw and Luke Stoltman were out of contention for the podium entering the event, but the crowd in Myrtle Beach didn’t care. They roared for the two juggernauts of the sport as they took the floor. For Shaw, this was the final WSM event of his competitive strongman career.
Shaw meticulously applied tacky to each of his stones while Stoltman waited on his side for the heat to commence. The duo loaded their first stones like a mirror image. A stumble on the second stone by Stoltman gave Shaw the lead.
Shaw took his time on the fourth stone but got it up successfully. Shaw held the fifth stone in his lap for a long time before lifting and crashing it into the pedestal. After a hard-fought battle, the fifth stone fell to the floor, and Shaw waved to conclude his WSM career. Stoltman didn’t have time to make a second attempt on the fifth stone, and both men fist-bumped to end the heat.
Shaw exited the arena to the crowd’s chants of “Thank you, Brian!”
Heat Three — Pavlo Kordiyaka vs. Trey Mitchell
While Kordiyaka’s shot at the podium was still mathematically possible, his effective six-point penalty in the Reign Shield Carry more or less stripped him of controlling his fate in the Atlas Stones. He squared off against Mitchell, who is one of the best stone lifters in the sport.
Kordiyaka was the first athlete to lift shirtless to offer a better grip when hugging each stone. Both men were the first to forego taping their arms, instead opting only for tacky. Mitchell got out to a full-stone lead as it appeared easier for him to walk with each stone. Mitchell was the first athlete to complete all five stones. Kordiyaka had the fifth stone lapped as the whistle blew.
Heat Four — Oleksii Novikov vs. Evan Singleton
While they certainly had to consider Mitchell’s stellar time, Singleton and Novikov were battling in the bronze medal heat. Unless Mitchell’s time leapfrogged him up the leaderboard at the end of this event, whoever won the Singleton versus Novikov heat would step onto the podium.
A trip up with the tacky on the opening stone by Singleton let Novikov take an early lead. Singleton closed the gap by the fourth stone. They lifted their respective fifth stones simultaneously. However, Novikov didn’t have the height to lift the stone high enough for the 50-inch pedestal and knew it; he dropped the stone and ventured to Singleton’s side. Singleton was about to make a second attempt on stone five, but the whistle closed the heat. Novikov wins bronze.
Heat Five — Tom Stoltman vs. Mitchell Hooper
Hooper and Stoltman entered the arena shirtless. Hooper knew loading four stones in under 45 seconds would secure him the WSM title. Stoltman needed a huge performance and a massive blunder from Hooper to leave with gold instead of silver. It was Hooper’s contest to lose.
Stoltman’s height was a clear advantage on the 50-inch pedestals. Hooper loaded his fourth stone fast enough to lock up the WSM title, but he loaded the fifth stone to secure the victory on the spot and celebrate on stage. Mitchell Hooper is the 2023 WSM champion and the first Canadian ever to claim the title.
Featured image courtesy of World’s Strongest Man.
